Learning Styles

There is a lot of talk now about learning styles, which look at how children learn and what affects their learning and motivation. It is now accepted that each person has a preferred learning style, whether that be visual, auditory, tactile or kinaesthetic.

Research shows that 75 % of children are kinaesthetic, that is, they prefer to learn by doing things, using practical materials and by moving around.

At Forest Park, we deal such diversity in our classrooms. We know that we have a mixture of auditory, visual, kinaesthetic and tactile learners and recognise that some children also enjoy learning through the traditional, formal teaching methods. We deliver outstanding lessons that encompass the needs of all children.

We value the use of music and practical materials in meeting the learning needs of the audio and kinaesthetic learners and the use of texts, pictures and recording the learning outcomes for the visual learner. We also promote the drinking of water at regular intervals throughout the day.

Thinking Skills 

The curriculum stresses that, when pupils use thinking skills, they focus on 'knowing how' to learn as well as 'knowing what' to learn. Three combined processes determine success in thinking:
• input - obtaining and organising knowledge through sensory awareness and perception to confirm 'what I know'
• control - thinking through a situation and making actions meaningful, for example, planning, decision-making and evaluating
• output - strategies for using knowledge and solving problems that combine 'what I do' with 'what I know', for example, remembering, thinking about and generating new ideas.

Thinking skills are tools that help children to go beyond the acquisition of knowledge in order to search for meaning, apply ideas, analyse patterns and relationships, create and design something new and monitor and evaluate their progress.

Personal and interpersonal skills and capabilities underpin success in all aspects of life. It is important, therefore, that children’s self-esteem and self-confidence are explicitly fostered along with the ability to understand and manage their own emotions and to interact effectively with others.

Teachers help children to develop thinking skills and personal capabilities by focusing on the following areas:

• Managing information
• Thinking, problem solving and decision-making
• Being creative
• Working with others
• Self management

Assessment for Learning

At Forest Park, we embrace the principles of Assessment for Learning (AfL) and put them at the heart of the learning and teaching process. AfL is not about testing but providing a framework for teachers and pupils to discuss the learning explicitly, i.e. the learning objective and the expected standard of work, including the success criteria. Feedback is then given to the pupils about their work and how well they have met the success criteria.

AfL promotes more effective questioning, more time for thinking and more discussion among the children in what is called 'pair-share' time. During the following year, you may well hear your child talking about learning intentions or W.A.L.T (We Are Learning To), or the success criteria or 'Wait Time', and you will know that this all relates to our approach to teaching and learning.

Within each class, we aim to maintain high levels of engagement for all of our pupils. Therefore, whole-class teaching goes beyond 'question and answer' sessions where the children raise their hands to respond to questions; using mini-whiteboards, for example, ensures that all children are thinking and expressing their ideas whilst allowing the teacher to assess the level of understanding across the whole class. 

AfL provides teachers with a framework that they use to continuously assess the progress of each child on a daily basis and adapt and modify planning to meet these individual needs.
 

Reading

From the moment your child starts school, she or he will be encouraged to develop a love of books. Teachers plan for the development of your child's spoken language in many ways – through drama, singing, telling stories and rhymes.
Children will usually have one levelled book and one sharing book to read at home.

Reading Records

As soon as your child is ready to start bringing books home, they will receive a reading record book, which we ask you to use to record the stories and other reading materials you have shared at home. We use it to record a selection of the books read at school.

Individual Reading

Sometimes, teachers will read individually with your child. This helps your child's teacher to assess progress and plan the next steps. Teachers record progress through the reading scheme on individual records and in the reading record books.

Queries

All children progress at different rates and most have spurts of learning coupled with periods of consolidation. If you have any worries or questions about your child's reading, please speak to the class teacher.

Homework

Homework is set for all year groups in the school. In setting homework, the school aims to reinforce and consolidate the skills and understanding children have gained in the classroom. Our aim is that homework will foster independent learning skills and provide opportunities for parents and pupils to work together.

The pattern for homework will vary for each class.  However, there is a strong emphasis on reading, writing, spelling and mathematics skills throughout the school.  As the children get older, the homework will include a wide variety of investigative work on areas that the children study in history, geography and science.

Good standards of presentation are encouraged and rewarded, as the aim of homework is to help the children’s learning at the same time as raising their self-esteem.

Please support and encourage your child to complete homework. If your child is unable to complete their homework for any reason, please write a note in your child’s homework diary or reading record book.